“I’ve grown quite weary of the spunky heroines, brave victims, soul-searching fashionistas that stock so many books. I particularly mourn the lack of female villains — good, potent female villains. Not ill-tempered women who scheme about landing good men and better shoes (as if we had nothing more interesting to war over), not chilly WASP mothers (emotionally distant isn’t necessarily evil), not soapy vixens (merely bitchy doesn’t qualify either). I’m talking violent, wicked women. Scary women. Don’t tell me you don’t know some. The point is, women have spent so many years girl-powering ourselves — to the point of almost parodic encouragement — we’ve left no room to acknowledge our dark side. Dark sides are important. They should be nurtured like nasty black orchids.”
by SweetAd90
16 Comments
Misery by Stephen King – Annie Wilkes is one of the most terrifying villains ever put to page.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey – Nurse Ratched is in a league of her own.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – Mrs. Danvers still gives me the creeps.
*East of Eden* by Steinbeck has one of the best female villains.
Maeve Fly by C.J. Leede — Maeve is a fiendish, fascinating character and she does some utterly horrific things over the course of the book. Pretty short read but one that’ll definitely stick with you
You could try Vengeful by V.E. Schwab. It’s the sequel to Vicious (but I’d say you don’t really need Vicious to read it, though I also had a good ol’ time with that one.) They both read like stand-alones in the same universe with the same people, but it’s not really a continuation of the plot of book 1. The whole schtick about these books is that they’re from the point of view from the villains, and you follow a female villain throughout. To quote the book’s own description:
>Magneto and Professor X. Superman and Lex Luthor. Victor Vale and Eli Ever. Sydney and Serena Clarke. Great partnerships, now soured on the vine.
But Marcella Riggins needs no one. Flush from her brush with death, she’s finally gained the control she’s always sought―and will use her new-found power to bring the city of Merit to its knees. She’ll do whatever it takes, collecting her own sidekicks, and leveraging the two most infamous EOs, Victor Vale and Eli Ever, against each other.
the robber bride by Margaret Atwood. her victims are none of your stock characters either.
Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey has a kick-ass villainess.
Bunny
How Can I Help You
Shit Cassandra Saw (short story collection, some more relevant to your request than others, but awesome none-the-less.)
Going to low key recommend Mists of Avalon (and eesh, author even fits for real world example.)
Yellowface by Rebecca Kuang. The main character is the shittiest, worst person ever.
I found Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie to be about such a woman. She is the main protagonist, and very nasty.
Maybe not quiiiiite a villain but Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots fits the vibe in a playful way.
This is a common theme in Gillian Flynn works
Ianthe in *Gideon the Ninth*. She causes problems on purpose.
Natsuo Kirino’s books Out and Grotesque. She’s an amazing writer
Is this a Gillian Flynn quote? It sounds familiar. If you haven’t read her work, I highly recommend checking her out.
Boy Parts by Eliza Clark. Its like American Psycho if Patrick Bateman was a bitter, working-class art graduate from the north of England.
Killers of a Certain Age
Gone Girl
Medea
Game of Thrones series
My Sister the Serial Killer
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And although I’m not thinking of a specific work, Angela Carter sits firmly in this category for me. Feminist, often brutal.